Thanks! Grabbed the free items.

X-Com Enforcer.
https://www.humblebundle.com/gift?key=NTXCfE38ctcpVYe4

X-Com Interceptor.
https://www.humblebundle.com/gift?key=AW4ayyAnZMRmuy82

X-Com Apocalypse.
https://www.humblebundle.com/gift?key=nDBqu8zSKvhhz8yX

X-Com Terror from the deep.
https://www.humblebundle.com/gift?key=XeX33dqdEFmKwGbn

X-Com UFO defense.
https://www.humblebundle.com/gift?key=xsuTCXCAWBVc2CtB

First in, first served I guess.

6600XT crew o/

I will not be upgrading any time soon. All I play on my PC is Thief 1&2 fan missions

I mostly just play StarCraft 2, but would love to jump onto Oblivion Remastered and Elder Scrolls 6.
Oblivion I can do Medium Settings with 45-60fps at 1440P and I want better.

But I am also doing some A.I up-scaling of DVD which is very GPU intensive, takes me about 4-6 hours, then I store it on my NAS.

Next-Gen AMD Radeon “GFX13” and Intel Arc Druid “Xe4” GPU architectures spotted

https://videocardz.com/newz/next-gen-amd-radeon-gfx13-and-intel-arc-druid-xe4-gpu-architectures-spotted

AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9000WX appears at SATA-IO page

https://videocardz.com/pixel/amd-ryzen-threadripper-pro-9000wx-appears-at-sata-io-page

Intel Arc B580 rumored to get custom dual-GPU version with 48GB memory

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-arc-b580-rumored-to-get-custom-dual-gpu-version-with-48gb-memory

AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT to feature higher game clock than RX 9070 boost clock, PCIe 5.0×16 specs mentioned

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-radeon-rx-9060-xt-to-feature-higher-game-clock-than-rx-9070-boost-clock-pcie-5-0x16-specs-mentioned

It’s time for the Tuesday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

GOG brings two new promos:

• The Tactical Games Promo has games up to 95% off during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20250513_tactical_games_promo
• And the Treasure Chest Promo also has up to 95% discounts during the same 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20250513_treasure_chest_promo

Steam has new deals and sales/events:

• Youtubers Life is going to be 70% off until the 23rd of May: https://store.steampowered.com/app/428690/Youtubers_Life/
• The Headliners gets a 30% discount until the 26th of May: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3059070/The_Headliners/
• God Of Weapons will be 50% off until the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2342950/God_Of_Weapons/
• Diplomacy is Not an Option will have a 55% discount until May 26: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1272320/Diplomacy_is_Not_an_Option/
• Camping Simulator: The Squad is going to be 75% off until May, the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1562260/Camping_Simulator_The_Squad/
• And these are the new sales/events:
  • The Games Made in France Sale features up to 75% discounts. Some deals will end tomotow and others will last until the 20th, maybe more: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/GamesMadeInFrance
  • The DreamHack Dallas 2025 Indie Playground is here with demos and even some discounts of up to 50%. The length of the deals vary greatly, with some ending maybe even before you read this while there’s one that will last until the 24th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40157993/sale/DreamHackDallas2025
• And of course, there are also the weeklong deals.

Fanatical has the BYO Spring Superstars Collection (May 2025), with 17 games for your 2+, 3+ or 5+ bundles during 41 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-spring-superstars-collection.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

You're not imagining things: Oblivion Remastered's standard difficulty is way too easy, a single step up is insanely frustrating, and one modder has the math to prove it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-elder-scrolls/youre-not-imagining-things-oblivion-remastereds-standard-difficulty-is-way-too-easy-a-single-step-up-is-insanely-frustrating-and-one-modder-has-the-math-to-prove-it/
Oblivion Remastered has taken some well-judged steps to fix the original's wonky skill and attribute system, but it's still a very strange, unbalanced experience. Nublivion's middle, "Adept" difficulty just feels too easy, while a single step up to "Expert" makes fighting even a basic bandit a life or death slog. Now I know why: The behind-the-scenes math is bonkers.
Modder IxionXVII's "Difficulty Slider Fixed" mod is a blessed solution with a ton of options to customize Oblivion Remastered's difficulty to your liking, but the author also helpfully lays out what the different difficulties actually change in the game, and it's immediately apparent why vanilla Nublivion's Expert setting felt so awful to me.
The settings apply a flat multiplier to the damage you deal and receive. Adept is just 1x/1x for each, which makes sense. One notch up to Expert, though, causes a huge jump to how much damage you take, while it turns even legendary Daedric weapons into foam cosplay toys. Here's a chart of the default numbers from IxionXVII:
>> The article has an over 1 hout long video.

GAMING NEWS

Stellar Blade PC Trailer & Release Date Leaked Online
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/stellar-blade-pc-trailer-release-date-leaked-online/
Sony has just leaked itself the PC trailer and release date for the post-apocalyptic action adventure game, Stellar Blade. Stellar Blade will be officially coming to PC on June 11th. Below, you can also find its leaked PC trailer, so be sure to watch it as Sony may take it down.

The Sinking City Remastered Released, Early 4K/8K Benchmarks
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-sinking-city-remastered-released-early-4k-8k-benchmarks/
Frogwares has just released The Sinking City Remastered on PC. This remastered version of The Sinking City is free to all existing owners of the game. The devs have ported the game to Unreal Engine 5, and here are some early 4K and 8K benchmarks.

Here are all the issues that currently plague Doom: The Dark Ages
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/here-are-all-the-issues-that-currently-plague-doom-the-dark-ages/
Bethesda and id Software have just released an FAQ for Doom: The Dark Ages, detailing all of its current bugs and issues. The game is now available to those who have pre-ordered it. So, if you are one of them, you should check out this FAQ.

Part two of the gaming news:

Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford spiels about how wonderful Borderlands 4 is going to be, then gets all coy about the price but jokes 'maybe we'll sell you that minimap that you guys want'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/gearbox-ceo-randy-pitchford-spiels-about-how-wonderful-borderlands-4-is-going-to-be-then-gets-all-coy-about-the-price-but-jokes-maybe-well-sell-you-that-minimap-that-you-guys-want/
Gearbox Software co-founder and CEO Randy Pitchford is going full PT Barnum for the release of Borderlands 4, bullishly telling everyone that this is going to be the best Borderlands since sliced bread, and wading into online fights to tell the doubters to "play the game first." Heck he even pulled a Todd Howard: "you see something anywhere on the screen, a mile away, up in the sky, you will be able to get there."

Iron Galaxy has explained why Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 won't feature the career mode: 'Our goal here is to make the ultimate package'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/iron-galaxy-has-explained-why-tony-hawks-pro-skater-3-4-wont-feature-the-career-mode-our-goal-here-is-to-make-the-ultimate-package/
The news that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 wouldn't include the popular career mode from the original 4th game wasn't received well when it was announced in March. Instead, the timed challenges from the first three games would replace the mode that so many skaters loved.
In an interview with Game Informer, Iron Galaxy's design director Mike Rossi says: "We looked at 3, and that was obviously another very highly regarded title in the franchise. So then it was 'Let's look at 4. It's quite different, but what at its essence is it?' Our goal here is to make the ultimate package of 3 and 4. So ultimately, we felt that taking it into feeling more towards the 3 format as opposed to what 4 did originally, was a better representation for a cohesive package."

Elden Ring Nightreign's story is told in part through playable memories, so FromSoftware really is delivering lore through whacking things
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/elden-ring-nightreigns-story-is-told-in-part-through-playable-memories-so-fromsoftware-really-is-delivering-lore-through-whacking-things/
If one thing is clear about Elden Ring Nightreign, it's that this is gonna upset a lot of folks' expectations for what a FromSoftware Souls game is. The co-op roguelike is built around short sessions, with each complete run lasting roughly 40 minutes, and that comes with a relentless pace: if you just enjoy bashing horrible monsters with big weapons, you're sorted, but those who love the subtleties of these worlds and the freeform exploration are mostly out of luck.
But that doesn't mean the baby's been thrown out with the bathwater. In a new interview with IGN director Junya Ishizaki reveals how the game plans to tell its story: and in a game where hitting things is the main mechanic, they're making memories about it.

Clair Obscur player tanks their way through the entire game without dodging or parrying to prove a point: You can finish it without 'gamer reflexes'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/clair-obscur-player-tanks-their-way-through-the-entire-game-without-dodging-or-parrying-to-prove-a-point-you-can-finish-it-without-gamer-reflexes/
If Dark Souls is any indication, people take a lot of pride in mastering hard games. There's nothing wrong with that until the moment they make it about ego: getting smart and finding creative solutions through hard games can be so much more interesting than getting good. General sentiment seemed to be that it was impossible to finish the entirety of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 without engaging with its demanding dodging and parrying mechanics—that is until Reddit user HunterIV4 spent the last week proving the naysayers wrong.

Oblivion Remastered has an unleveled, legendary sword you can grab right after leaving the starting sewers⁠—just bring a lot of arrows or magicka potions
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-elder-scrolls/oblivion-remastered-umbra-sword-location-guide/
Even if you're taking advantage of one of the great mods to un-level or auto-upgrade Oblivion Remastered's quest rewards, you might still want to snag yourself something with a little extra oomph right out of the gate. That's where Umbra comes in.
This pitch-black, super evil longsword is a centerpiece of Elder Scrolls lore, and ties into the level-20 Daedric quest for Clavicus Vile. But the sword, and its wielder of the same name, still spawn out in the world even if you haven't activated the quest.

Dune: Awakening's stabby stunlock PvP exploit is being fixed, says Funcom: 'We've got this covered'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/dune-awakenings-stabby-stunlock-pvp-exploit-is-being-fixed-says-funcom-weve-got-this-covered/
The Dune: Awakening beta weekend has come to an end, and along with sandworms, speeders, and spice, there's another topic on everyone's mind: stunlock.
We learned over the weekend that Paul Atreides didn't need to spend all that time training to master the slow blade: he could have just repeatedly slashed his knife around in front of him and conquered Arrakis in a matter of minutes.

'Too many games let their players succeed' says developer of notoriously tough survival RPG Kenshi, and 'that's mind-numbingly boring to me'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/too-many-games-let-their-players-succeed-says-developer-of-notoriously-tough-survival-rpg-kenshi-and-thats-mind-numbingly-boring-to-me/
Open world survival RPG Kenshi can be cruel, especially in the early hours. As our reviewer put it back in 2018, "basic survival plans can be easily derailed by a city guard who plants drugs on you then demands money you don’t have, or by finding yourself deep in a region inhabited by vicious alien giraffes."
The tough, uncaring world is part of what makes Kenshi so great, however: you're not playing some fabled hero following a big quest arrow to fame and glory, you're just another average person trying to scrape by in a complex world. It's not supposed to be easy.
"A writer's job is to torment their protagonist," according to the designer of Kenshi, Chris Hunt of Lo-Fi Games, in a video released today. "That's what a lot of writers will tell you. And so I just adapted that."

Super Earth is under attack, and Helldivers 2's trouser-browning update is finally here—with weapon customisation, new Illuminate troops, and an inevitable battle on democracy's home turf
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/super-earth-is-under-attack-and-helldivers-2s-trouser-browning-update-is-finally-here-with-weapon-customisation-new-illuminate-troops-and-an-inevitable-battle-on-democracys-home-turf/
It turns out that the prophesied Helldivers 2 patch that would make you, erm, soil your breeches(?) was definitely still in the pipeline, no pun intended. Helldivers 2 just got a massive, hefty update that's shaken up the game's progression system in a major way and, for the first time, brought Super Earth under threat.

OG Infinity Ward dev says Call of Duty's gone the way of The Simpsons: 'It kind of feels like they've run out of ideas at times'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/og-infinity-ward-dev-says-call-of-dutys-gone-the-way-of-the-simpsons-it-kind-of-feels-like-theyve-run-out-of-ideas-at-times/
It's a sad truth of the world that there are only so many war crimes you can render in pornographic detail before it all starts to get ho-hum. The electric thrill wears off, the dizzying highs transform into stultifying mids, and even the Red Cross stops calling when you execute your millionth downed opponent.
This is, probably, not quite what former Call of Duty animator Chance Glasco was talking about in a recent interview with Tulsa's News 9 network (via GameSpot), but I like to pretend it is. Glasco—one of the original coterie of former Medal of Honor devs who founded Infinity Ward back when dinosaurs walked the Earth in 2002–-recently appeared on the network to chat about his experience working on CoD and what he thinks of the series' long trajectory over the last decade or two.

Thank you for sharing them.

For now this will only apply to the Lenovo handheld PC, but in the future...

The SteamOS era is imminent: Valve adds a new compatibility rating for games that’ll run on ‘any device that’s not a Steam Deck’
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/steamos-compatibility-rating-valve-steam-deck-handhelds/
The Steam Deck won’t be the only handheld gaming PC to run Valve’s open source Linux-based operating system later this month, and it looks like we can expect more devices to come in the near future. In preparation for the launch of Lenovo’s Legion Go S with SteamOS, Valve will start rating games on their compatibility with third-party devices.

Valve expects to give the stamp of approval to over 18,000 Steam games to start with, and will include this rating on all the games it checks for Steam Deck compatibility going forward. The compatibility ratings are “based on a subset of the Steam Deck compatibility testing results and are meant to show at a glance whether a game and all of its middleware is supported on Steam OS,” it said in a news post. “This includes features like game functionality, launcher functionality, and anti-cheat support.”

You won’t see the new ratings on Steam unless you’re on a device like the Legion Go S, Valve said. It’ll appear next to the Steam Deck verification status and tell you whether you can run it on SteamOS as well as other important details, like if it requires an internet connection.

I would love to see a generational breakdown of 7970 > R9 285X > R9 380X > RX 470 > RX 570 > RX 5600 > RX 6600XT > RX 7600 > RX 9060XT

These are all 2048:128:32 parts, only clock-rates vary, see how big the gains are over the last 13 years.

Higher clockrates are likely to make up for the lack of a shader unit increase.